Streaming and Addressables

Direct references are the default. Streamed references use Unity Addressables for dynamic loading while keeping the same Reference IDs and selectors.

Direct versus Streamed

Mode	Best suited to	Runtime behavior
Direct	Small or always-needed assets and the simplest setup.	Serialized reference cached and resolved synchronously.
Streamed	Large optional content or assets needing memory control.	Registered and loaded through the Addressables-backed loader.

Addressables dependency

Addressables is required only for Streamed entries. The database shows Addressables Not Installed and offers an inline install path when the package is missing.

Streaming settings

When an entry uses Streamed mode, its settings include:

• Address, defaulting to the Reference ID;
• Group, defaulting to an Asset References group;
• Labels, defaulting from tags and category;
• Preload Policy; and
• Release Policy.

Synchronization status

Status	Meaning
Synced	Reference settings and Addressables metadata match.
Mismatch	Address, group, labels, or GUID registration drifted; use Sync Now or repair.
Addressables Not Installed	Streamed references cannot use the documented loader.

Preload policies

Policy	Behavior
Auto	Load on demand when first requested.
Preload On Start	Preload after the game startup sequence finishes.
On Scene Load	Preload when a scene is loaded.
Manual	Preload only through C# or a Game Creator Instruction.

Release policies

Policy	Behavior
Auto	Release streamed assets when the active scene changes.
Manual	Keep assets loaded until code or an Instruction releases them.
Immediate	Release immediately after resolve; the source suggests prefab instantiation.

Use asynchronous resolution for Streamed assets that are not already loaded. Keep ownership and release policy explicit when multiple systems share the same asset.

Runtime debugging

In Play Mode, the database can show loaded and unloaded state, preload or release a Streamed entry, ping its asset, inspect usages, and validate repository health.